subway knitting

Let’s go back for a minute to my pre and during college days… My dad thought it would be absolutely amazing if I became a sock designer… (insert usual late teen eye roll here…) now whether he was completely serious or not I don’t know but to this day it’s definitely joked about. So when I became serious about my hand knitting of course the comment of my knitting socks came up…

Well let’s say I was easily justifiably (in my mind) not into trying, like, AT ALL. The thought of how you possible turn a heel, create a gusset, I just couldn’t wrap my head around how it would be done- and patterns I even chanced to look at- oh no, it was a foreign language.

Then came the call saying Dad wasn’t well and … I couldn’t figure out fast enough how I was suppose to make a sock.. Six pairs in and he still hasn’t gotten a pair (really dad, yours are coming I promise!!) but I have become enchanted about how easily it is to wip a pair out pretty quickly.

And then…Goomy 50 happened (bottom right hand corner)…

And I couldn’t avoid the size 0 (yes 0!!) needle size… So to avoid actually experiencing second sock syndrome I looked up two at a time socks and I have learned a few things….:

1) casting on is dreadful, cast on separately and bring together once you’ve joined in the round…you just try navigating periously small rows of tiny stitches and tell me it’s easy!

2) that ladder thing everyone talks about- yeah it happens, and it sucks.

3) picking up stitches in the round for two?- yep that’s interesting to, I think I’ve mastered it though since I ripped out my pick ups 3 separate times! (Check this link out, the visuals helped in figuring out the correct technique…)

4) you get interested stares when you knit two at a time on the subway, and yes many will think they are sleeves…

5) the end result…sure, it pretty much blows all those annoying bad points above out of the water… Putting on a pair of hand knit socks is pretty f*cking satisfying.

You know you want to be a sock designer…so pick up your double points and do it…. 😉

I’ts done!- finished, finito! Oh I’m so thrilled with the result! The first of many knits I already have planned for myself was finished about a week and a half ago…

Now, I still have to block but you can believe that I wore this beauty as soon as it was finished. In my defense as well, blocking has not yet been completed because lace blocking wires were recommended to get the proper shape and I did not have any!

So while I’m waiting for these blocking wires to arrive this scarf is mine to wear!

**note that pattern is actually designed for Loft, I substituted and used Shelter instead.

Length of time to complete: about a month, I had another project on my needles at the same time, so maybe only 3 weeks if it had been the only piece I had been working on…

Project Notes: Because I substituted yarns, I actually ended up with more yarn than I needed. Now while my math (worked out with a very helpful employee at Purl Soho) was correctly calculated, out of the 8 skeins purchased, I only needed 6! I would have more than likely used 6 1/2 skeins however when I was 1/3 of the way through the project I realized I was shorting my moss stitch sections by 4 rows (oops!- really, I CAN count though….). This worked to my advantage as I was able to adjust the remaining pattern to accommodate the mistake (which you would never have know about until now….) The remaining yarn is being used up as a little stockinette/ jersey roll beanie (more to come on this!) which is something else I have wanted to make for myself so really this was a win/win.

After finally finishing all of my holiday knit projects, the next thing up on my agenda was a baby blanket for some friends of ours. While her due date is just a few weeks away, I thought (right after Christmas that is…) I had a week or so to my own self & projects before I had to dive in. Well, that wasn’t the case as the shower invite showed up right before New Years and the shower date set for about 3 weeks later!

I panicked for about a minute, then realized that I had a week off then two working weeks before the shower. So the next day I purchased the yarn and went to work.

**worry free first night with cast on

It was only a few days later when I went to go RSVP that there was no way I would be able to even MAKE it to the shower….uuugggghhhhhh (out of town, hubs working, and train unable to make it to and from the town within a reasonable time to attend…plus the added cost of the ticket..) So well, I was pretty disappointed. But since I already had my gift and the blanket well into work, I decided to ship my gift to be received in time for the big day…

**early progress

…meaning that I lost 3-4 DAYS to finish in time- and I would be back to work….

*two nights prior to my deadline

Can we say TIME CRUNCH! So now as I sit here typing up this post, I have until midnight (its 5:30 pm currently) to finish about 8” worth of blanket along with wrapping EVERYTHING (my gift is more than a blanket!), commute home (about 40-so minutes) and somehow squeeze cooking and eating a dinner…

**UPDATE (following the night before deadline crunch-time!)

I FINISHED!! The last stitch slipped OFF the needles at midnight (ooommmppphhh) and it felt wonderful! About another 40 minutes and all was wrapped and happily packed up to be packaged and shipped Wednesday morning.

I hurried off to Fedex and I will now be thoroughly enjoying a deadline free couple of months.

Now that I have finally finished off all of the knitted things I wanted to make for everyone else, I can finally dedicate some time to knitting something for me…ALL FOR ME!! I purchased the Ludlow from Brooklyn Tweed almost a year ago and had been waiting for the right time to start…

And that time was now!!

**an early progress status…

I also had this strong urge to make something- anything- in BLACK. And I haven’t seemed to be the only one wanting to knit in black. A couple other knitters I follow and know have been drawn to the darker yarns recently… Hello handknit trend..

But anyways..the Ludlow; while the pattern calls to use Brooklyn Tweed’s Loft yarn, I favor their Shelter a little bit more so along with a very friendly and helpful employee in NYC’s Purl Soho, I managed to substitute and work out the math to have the pattern accommodate Shelter.

I am about a third of the way through and could not be more pleased with how it is turning out…

So I have moved onto a new subway project, and while I have a few that I am rotating out of my purse this most recent one has gotten me thinking…

Generally my work in stockinette stitch is very even. I pride myself that I have a consistency that is very comforting in very simple patterns. This gives my work a more professional and so called “store bought” look.

This more recent subway knit hasn’t been so even….

Project: Brig, by Brooklyn Tweed

Yarn: handspun from Sawkill Farm

I am working in an even 2×2 rib but every once and a while I will find a stitch as I work in circles that are tighter or looser than those around it. And I am discovering that it may or may not be the yarn I’m using. It is am absolutely beautiful hand spun undyed blended yarn from Sawkill Farm. While I am so so happy with the yarn and how my pretty little hat is turning out, I keep thinking about how my even little stitches are a bit more inconsistent than what I’m used to.

Then again I think that could somehow I’m not seeing a consistency in my tension? Or what about my needle size? Should I be using a smaller needle for a tight gauge? Would this bring back my ever comforting consistency?
It is opening up my mind in how some yarns may be better suited for one project over another… I’m curious to see what I discover next….